


half of my heart's got a real good imagination.

by coraltorches



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 19:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15541584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coraltorches/pseuds/coraltorches
Summary: a man who's never truly loved anything, and a woman who's never truly been loved by anything. two halves of a heart make a whole.





	1. lonely was the song I sang.

She liked solitude, being alone, and not having to talk to people unnecessarily. 

At least, that’s what she thinks; That’s how she had always been, even before she slipped through the line between the Styx and the Lifestream. It was essentially her being reborn, somewhat. A new chance at life, but Nerine (that’s what she goes by nowadays) falls back into her old habits quickly: Self-destructive, and internally volatile. 

This changes when she somehow falls into place with a group of adventurers, and meets Nogai Dhoro. He’s a tall, handsome Au Ra of the Xaela clan, and from the get go he made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t quite sure if he had anything or anyone left for him back home. 

Nerine relates to him easily, and perhaps that’s why she finds herself so easily drawn to him, often finding any excuse to just stand or sit next to Nogai. Her other companions don’t seem to notice, and Nogai never seemed to complain, though whether or not he realizes he was Nerine’s safety net was something she never asked.

She learns bits about him, about how he was married. Nerine hums or sings to herself sometimes in the late evenings about him, even if she doesn’t realize it; About a man with half of his heart, about a man who’s probably never truly loved anything. Sometimes when Nogai passes by her room at the inn their staying, he catches a tune and smiles to himself — Even if he didn’t know the ballads were about me. He never brings it up to her in the morning, though, yet looks at her a little more fondly each time.

Nerine relates to him easily, and perhaps that’s why she finds herself so easily drawn to him, often finding any excuse to just stand or sit next to Nogai. Her other companions don’t seem to notice, and Nogai never seemed to complain, though whether or not he realizes he was Nerine’s safety net was something she never asked.

It started with a brush of their hands that sends sparks coursing throughout her veins, and it’s a mutual feeling; They like touching each other.

It’s another late night for them both, and the pair are drinking in a corner, their table isolated from the busy surroundings, the rest of their friends and companions loud and cheery in the main area of the Shiokaze Hostelry; Kugane was already always busy, but the tavern at night was a new level of populated this evening.

He’s speaking to her about the events of the day, talking in that gravelly tone that Nerine has gotten so familiar with, and she cannot help but hang onto his every word. Her cheek rests on a palm, and her eyes are fixated on the man as he talks (complains, really), his conversation going in circles as he himself knows he’s also rambling about everything that had weightage on his (very broad) shoulders. Every detail of his face, from the umbral rings in his brilliant eyes to the scales that framed his features ever-so-nicely.

For Nogai, he finds these little personal talks with Nerine to be something he looks forward to the end of the day. Be it when they sit at the campfire, catch each other before they disappear into their rooms for the night, or when they’re drinking their sorrows. 

“I apologize,” Nogai’s sigh was like a rumble. “I didn’t mean to drone on in my … Venting.” 

She gave a shake of her head, strands of her grey hair falling into her face. “You don’t have to apologize, I don’t mind.” 

“You’re just being polite.” He sets his cup down, frowning as the contents of it was always empty. 

“Not polite. Just honest. I like hearing you talk, Nogai. I could hear you talk for days.” She confesses, and it surprises even herself when the words fall from her ruby lips. 

Nogai blinks, and he internally wonders what this warm feeling that was spreading within him was; An abundance of calmness, excitement, anxiousness, joy, and whatever the Hell else he could think of was stretching his inner turmoil.

She sees a teasing grin pull at his lips slightly. In an attempt to save face, she quickly apologizes. “Sorry, what I meant was …”

“You don’t need to apologize.” He holds her own words over her, perhaps even chuckling slightly before he sort of teases her. “For days, hm?” 

Nerine gives a scoff, though doesn’t back off. She was far too headstrong to not bash through a challenge directly. Instead, she gave a small hum, tilting her head from side to side before replying. “Maybe all night, too.” 

“You just might.” He says this in a bit of a whisper, in that low, husky tone that makes Nerine feel butterflies rise from her stomach to her chest, and cause her knees and thighs to press together under the table. It gets worse-better when Nogai’s hand reaches out, his fingers (so much larger than her svelte ones) gently brushing away some rogue strands of hair that blocked out her features a bit. “You hide that face of yours too much for my taste.”

Nerine’s feelings are in foreign territory now, and she feels like she’s drowning — But she only wants to dive in deeper, see where the waters take her this time around.

So on the edge of desire, she feels herself push herself off — A new life, one with Nogai in it.

She wonders when exactly it was that she fell in love with him.


	2. i had my heart on lockdown.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nogai has been nothing but ice the past few months when they arrive at the Ruby Sea, and Nerine has just had enough of it. She confronts him, and things start blooming under the moonlight between them.

Two days. That was her limit in holding her tongue. Nerine was, quite frankly, pissed about nearly everything. It wasn’t as bad when they first got to the Azim Steppe, but the events of the Naadam and the day after were what pushed her to just be out of her calm element. 

Nogai had been distant since the Ruby Sea, but once setting foot in the Steppe, he had been more clammed up even to Nerine. She knew he had a not so nice history back here, but … Why was he icing her out? Her, of all people … 

Surely that night in Kugane wasn’t just in her head, was it? Surely she didn’t imagine that look in his eyes. 

He had brushed her off when he went to meet with his tribe, and she didn’t make a fuss about it — Amongst everyone in their little travelling group, Nerine knew Nogai’s past better than anyone, and she knew him better than the others, too. So she let that slide on the night itself, but the day right after, just a few days before they were to go to Doma to discuss the liberation plans and attack, Victorine breaks the news that she’s staying in the Steppe. 

Evening falls, and Nerine finally decided to blow up.

She finds Nogai somewhere in the plains, sat on a rock and brooding to himself. Her hands clench into fists for a second as she tries to keep her nerves down before she confronted him; Finding the right words was never easy for Nerine when Nogai made her lose her breath.

The man seemed to be in his own world, only looking up when he hears her clear her throat. Her arms are crossed, and she has a frown on her lips — While Nogai always found that little furrow in her brows cute, he wasn’t fond of Nerine’s annoyed, or displeased expressions. He opened his mouth to speak, though was quickly silenced with a surprising cut of her words. 

“What the Hell is wrong with you?” 

“Excuse me?” He stands up near instantly, his own frown deepening. 

Nerine’s hands lifted, and she lashed out, “What is with you? The last few months, you’ve been nothing but detached — And I get why, believe me, I do; Especially since we came here. But you’ve been cold. You’ve been cold to me.” 

There was a dreaded sense of hurt in her last sentence, and Nogai feels a pang of guilt and disgust that he caused it, but he also feels irritated, because where was this coming from? As if he didn’t already have enough on his plate. 

“Nerine, in case you haven’t realized, being here makes me miserable — So I apologize if I haven’t been myself.” His voice oozed thick sarcasm, his own arms crossing over his chest as he took a step closer to her, sort of looming over her with the way his stature was so much taller than her. 

“I don’t deserve to be talked to like this when I—.” Her eyes narrowed, and she stops herself from saying anything that she may regret. Nogai just stared her down. “You need to snap out of this trance, Nogai. You’re just hurting yourself.” 

“I’m fine.”

“You’re lying.” 

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I just do.”

“How, pray tell, do you know what I’m feeling?” There’s a bite to his words, on the edge of mockery as it’s now he who lashes out at Nerine. He near regrets his tone almost immediately at her response.

“Because I care about you.” She didn’t slap him, but she may as well have. It’s then when she snaps him out of his wallowing of self-pity and depreciation.

A moment passes, and there’s an audible beat as it stirs. He sees her, then. Finally sees her properly again after having his vision so clouded by his own thoughts. The moonlight making her grey hair look like strands of silver, her eyes so bright and pink and stunning as they looked at him, and her sharp features suddenly looking less harsh; He was so jaded all this time. Had she always been this beautiful?

Nerine doesn’t wait any longer for his response, shifting to turn and walk away. She said her piece, she was emotionally exhausted, and she had to prepare— 

Nogai grabs her hand abruptly, pulling her to collide against him. 

“What–.” 

He cuts her off, his form already hunched over to bring himself to an eye level with her, and presses his lips to hers, kissing her in a needy, heated manner without any warning beforehand. It takes her a second or two, but Nerine responds by returning the kiss in a similar fashion with her lips parting to deepen it, and her arms going to fold around his shoulders. Her fingers finding their way into his hair test him to fight the urge to really have her.

The Au Ra picks up the small (to him, at least) Hyur up in his own arms easily, his hands quickly going to hold her up by her rear without any hesitation as he holds her close to his build, and her legs going to wrap about his waist; Completely enticed and entangled.

She moans into the kiss and then parts it, and Gods be damned does he want more, but a gentle hand going to his face makes him pause, even if his gaze was set on her parted ruby lips. 

“Nogai, I—. Are you sure?” Her voice is soft, concern in the undertone. 

“I have never been more certain about anything before in my life.” He responds. Now fully studying her features, his nose gently brushing against hers as her just wants to be close to her right now. She came crashing in like the realest thing when he needed it— no, needed her — the most.

Nerine is the one who initiates the kiss this time, just as passionate and fiery as the first one, as if it was long overdue. Her hands still snaked in his hair, even as he shifts them and pushes her against the grassy surface of the plains. His larger hand finds her free hand, and Nogai entraps it with interlacing his fingers with hers as he finally has her.

Neither had any idea where this was leading to, nor did they particularly care — Because having each other was just enough for now. And they both knew damn well they wouldn’t let the other slip away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of this is NSFW, so here's your first warning!


	3. edge of desire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS HAS THE SEX. THERE IS SEX IN THIS CHAPTER. NOT EXTREMELY GRAPHIC BUT EXPLICIT ALL THE SAME. 
> 
> DO NOT @ ME

Nogai’s hands were impatient, roaming, grabbing, and groping any part of Nerine that his palms had come across, particularly her curves. His hair dishevelled from the way her fingers kept tousling with the short strands, but he wasn’t complaining; Especially since he had her pinned down underneath him like this in the grass, kissing her deeply to which she responded with her own enthusiasm that matched his own.

His hands moved and groped at her hips, her waist, her ass, her breasts like in some desperate, fascinated fashion. Nerine’s own hands dropping from his hair down to his chest and abdomen, exploring the toned muscled exposed and underneath his robe. One of his knees between her thighs, and he knew damn well about the heat pooling down there. Nerine moans his name, and Nogai doesn’t remember the last time he heard it said in such a saccharine way.

The man was careful each time his head moved, ensuring his horns didn’t prick against her when he went from her lips to her neck to trail kisses and love bites on the tender flesh. Nogai’s hands began to tug and pull at her clothes, exposing more of her skin to him, more for his lips and hands to touch and brush against. 

Large hands came under her rear, cupping the cheeks as he pulls her up to sit up on his lap so that they were now eye to eye. Nerine blinks at the sudden shift, her lips ajar as she’s panting and Nogai can’t help but hold his breath at the thought of her lips on him, gently lingering on him before he face fucks her. 

But he was getting ahead (not a head) of himself.

“Not here.” He murmurs, his hands trailing up her torso and his eyes fixated on her nearly completely exposed breasts, watching as her chest somewhat heaved each time she took a breath. “The first time I have you, I want it to at least be somewhat private.” 

“Do you want to wait?” Her blinks are dazed, and her gaze was hazy as she looked at him. She brings up her thumb to her mouth, rubbing at her lips slightly, still feeling slightly raw from the rough kissing. 

Nogai let out a lighthearted scoff and gave a shake of his head, squeezing her ass with some authority before he rolled his up towards hers, causing her to feel the very hard bulge between their clothed confines. Nerine gasps. “Not what I had in mind. My tent.” 

She nods, and he helps her up, sneaking in a kiss onto her forehead once they were stood. Though, shamelessly watching as she readjusted her draped robe over her … Assets. He holds her hand, and she gives it a gentle squeeze as the pair snuck towards where they had set up camp, Nogai’s tent being somewhat isolated from the pack. 

Nerine barely remembers getting into the medium-sized tent, barely remembers when he has her pinned down again with her back against his futon. His lips are on her again almost immediately, this time against her cleavage as once more, she finds her attire pulled aside to expose her skin for his eyes, this time revealing the entirety of her upper body. 

Nogai’s hands cup around her ample breasts, fondling them with an all too pleased grin on his face. “So soft … For a woman normally so hard.” 

“You want to talk to me about being hard?” She manages to say, her lips a redder shade than before given how much she had bit down into her lower lip. Still, she reaches out her hand, palming against Nogai’s crotch to prove her point: He was very erect. 

He groans, his head leaning back a bit at the feeling of her hand; Clearly it had been too long for him, given how even the slightest touch from Nerine despite his pants still proving to be a barrier between flesh-on-flesh. His rough thumb rubs against a nipple as his knee pushes up against her centre, and Nerine’s shivering makes her drop her hand for the moment. 

His impatience gets the better of him, again, and he indulges it — at least for now. He strips her, leaving her bare before his eyes, and Nogai takes his time in appreciating the naked sight of her. Nerine wasn’t shy, either, not even once moving to cover herself up from his wandering eyes, even properly slipping out of her clothes. 

Naturally, she returns the favour by pulling off his robe, and he rolls his shoulders back to show off his muscles, and the scales that decorated them. He’d let her have her turn in appreciating him later on, but for now … 

Nogai sighs, bringing his lips to explore the valley of her breasts, trailing down to her stomach (he chuckles against her skin when he hears her give a soft laugh when his horns tickle against the flesh), but it’s when his hands go to the underside of her thighs and his lips brush directly against her wet cunt when he really gets a reaction from the both of them; Nerine moans and her back arches, and he groans against the slick heat of her. 

Her fingers entangled into the thin sheet Nogai used as a blanket, gripping tightly once she felt his tongue plunge into her, the tips of his horns prodding against her inner thighs. The soft cooing of his name between her moans gets him harder, and his tongue motions faster, wriggling within her warm walls as he tastes her, causing her toes to curl from bliss.

One of his hands groped her ass, again, bringing her closer to his mouth, leaving open-mouthed kisses as his tongue fucks her. She’s squirming and moaning and so nice to have and hold, and she’s so close to that climax but—

He pulls away with a wet sounding pop, and Nerine is a panting mess as he leaves her hanging, her mouth agape as she makes a noise neither of them ever thought she would: A bit of a desperate whine. Nogai catches her hand before it reaches between her legs to finish herself off, pinning it to the side of her head with a soft ‘tsk tsk.’ The very sight of him licking some of her juices from his lips almost makes her knees buckle together.

“I need to have you …” He whispers, tone husky against her ear as he unfastens his pants. 

“Then have me, Nogai.” She tilts her head, bringing his face to hers so their lips would meet, the kiss deep and eager until Nogai was just as naked as she was, his bare body clashing on hers. 

Lips still locked, his hands going to her legs and she instinctively wrapped them around his waist — they were falling into a routine — as he positions the head of cock to align with her entrance, and Nerine was trailing her fingertips against his scales as she bit down on her lower lip; Every bit of her just surrendering to his touches, pretty much wordlessly begging him to just have her. 

So he does just that. 

Nogai pushes in deep, sort of forcing her to take all of his girth and length at once as he thrusted in once. Twice. Watching the way her eyes squeezed shut at the subtlest of movements. “Look at me.”

She doesn’t, and he gives her rear a harsh swat at the disobedience. Nerine’s eyes flew open and she looked straight at her lover, gasping as her wrists were shackled to the futon by his strong hands, and Nogai has his way with her as he starts a more set pace in fucking her. His member like a piston as he thrusts into her relentlessly, and judging by the look on her face, Nogai could see that Nerine was loving it. 

The woman moans, and he shushes her gently despite the rough movements, hushing her with a short kiss on her lips. “Mm, can’t be too loud … You might wake the others up.” 

“W-Whose fault would that be.” She moans against his ear now, softly however. It took her awhile to properly form her next sentence. What, with the way Nogai only seemed to thrust harder into her, surely taunting her. “You’re horrible.”

Another spank to her ass once she’s done, and Nerine curses. 

“Maybe so …” He hummed, a haughty grin on his face that only made her wetter. “But next time you can be as loud as you want. I want to hear you …” He pushes in very deep then and holds himself there for a moment, watching the way her head leaned back. “Next time.” 

Her arms are around his shoulders now, and she’s the one that initiates the kiss this time. He still has her pinned under his weight, making it impossible for her to switch their positions. But at least she could hold him like this, kissing him to muffle out her cries of pleasure as he really fucks her raw, now, the man above her grunting at each jerk of his hips. 

Nogai’s movements were rough, letting out any tension and pent up aggression out in his thrusts into Nerine’s cunt; Her walls tightening around as she grew close, and her nails digging half-moons into his deliciously dark skin. 

“Oh, Nogai …” The way she says his name near makes him growl, and he wonders why he didn’t realize how lovely it sounded before. 

He leaves open mouth kisses against her neck and the wet sounds of the smooches and their slapping sexes, the rough pace and strong thrusts of his dick practically pummelling into her finally causes Nerine to climax; The feeling of release like a sharp rubber band snap, and he silences her moans as best he could by pressing his lips on hers quickly. 

“Where—?” 

“Inside.”

Nogai lifts a brow as she said this, though assumed she had a reason on why she was okay with this. He sits her limp body up on his lap, and his hands grip onto her hips as he controls her movements, screwing her like she was a doll so that he could chase his own high. Her arms still weakly around his shoulders, soft whimpers leaving her mouth as she begins to feel the overstimulation. 

Nerine feels amazing, and Nogai finally reaches his own orgasm, spilling his seed directly up into her with a loud groan. He smirks a bit at the sight of the excess of it trickling down her thighs, mixing with her own release prior. 

They stay like that for a long while, panting and gasping as they still feel the heat between them sort of sizzle. Nerine’s head nestles into the nape of his neck, and Nogai’s hand rests on her lower back affectionately while he squeezes her rear with no shame whatsoever.

“Nogai …” There it is again, that gentle way of saying his name like she was singing it. He squeezes her hips and gives a small ‘hmm?’ in response, but all she wanted to do was stay in his hold for the moment.

He lifts her head so he could look at her, looking at the way her hair sort of stuck to her face from her swear. His own hair probably just as messy, if not more so. He fakes a frown, lifting a hand to brush away the strands on her face. “I told you … You cover your face too much for my taste.”

There’s a pretty blush on her face, and she plants a small kiss on his lips and then chin. 

Then there’s a glint in her eye that he doesn’t catch until a second too late as she pushes him down onto his back. “Speaking of taste …”

“Oh?”

“It’s my turn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do not @ me about this ok


	4. entangled.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lazy lovers in the sheets ... What else is there to say?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied NSFW.

Getting up early in the mornings had always been hard, especially with the amount of moving around, travelling, and fighting they do on a near daily basis. However ever since Nerine and Nogai had decided to (secretly) share an inn room wherever they stayed, it was near impossible for either of them to get up. 

Not that they were necessarily sleeping in.

It starts with her stirring slightly as he trails kisses down her neck to her stomach, the tips of his horns tickling along her bare skin. The covers of the bed pushed down to their feet, Nerine draped over his form and his fingers entangled in her grey locks. Nogai’s hands resting on the small of her back as she kisses him something fierce despite it being so early in the morning.

“We should get ready to meet with the others.” She pants, and despite her words, makes no effort to move whatsoever. A hand to her heaving chest, sweat beading her forehead.

“We should …” He hums, speaking in that low, gruff tone that he knows just sways her. Still, he was just as winded as she was as he laid beside Nerine, his fingers searching the sheets for hers to intertwine, near coveting them immediately with the difference in their hand sizes. “Lest they wonder where we both are.”

Yet still, neither made the effort to move. Nerine bites her lip, and Nogai shifts to pull her in close to him once more, ensnaring her in his hold as kisses her.

“Or we could just risk it, and stay in for a few more hours.”

He laughs in that reserved way of his at her proposition, but takes her up on it all the same as he rolls over with her.

This was bound to be awhile.


	5. always.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nogai and Nerine’s pasts have always haunted them, taunted them especially in the middle of the night. Where exactly was home, these days?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, implied NSFW.

He wakes up sometimes in cold sweats, not because of a nightmare or a bad dream, but because of this restless torture his mind plays on him; You don’t have a home to go back to, anymore. His clan bid him good riddance, and Nogai realizes just how alone he is. His side of the he inn sheets were kicked to his feet as he contemplates getting up. 

A soft hand, gentle and so much smaller compared to his own stops him. He can see the heavy bags under her eyes, the soft light from the candle on his bedside glowing and highlighting her features a bit.

“Nogai. You need to rest.” She isn’t wrong. Reaching out, he cups Nerine’s face, wordlessly telling her to go back to sleep. She doesn’t, naturally, instead sitting upright and bringing her bare body to press up against his; Careful not to sit on his tail, pressing a soft kiss to the nape of his neck, and her fingertips gently trailing along his scales delicately. 

He eases against her, sighing. “I’ve no one to return to. No family. Nothing.”

“You have me.” It’s a soft comment, murmured against his dark skin, and it makes him melt. Nerine was normally so cold, so harsh, but with him? She is nothing but warm, vying to just be close to him. “You’re not alone. I’ll be your family. You will always have me, Nogai.”

It’s then when Nogai realizes he was wrong. He isn’t alone, not anymore. He was alone. Never had anyone said such words to him, so delicately laced with love without really saying the word — Nerine was tentative to say it, he knew, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel it for him, and he for her. For now, he could wait.

I’ll be your family.

He pulls her in close in front of him and slips a hand to her ass, and her arms draped about his shoulders in routine. He leans to her ear, whispering softly (but still huskily, of course) against her ear, knowing damn well just what kind of ways he had with her. “I heard the process in making a family is rather fun …”


End file.
